Lalo’s Magic Xylophone

Lalo’s Magic Xylophone is a free music game for kids. Lalo, a round little songbird with a bow tie and a tiny baton, stands next to a xylophone with eight colourful bars. Tap the bars to make your own music while Lalo dances, or play the echo game: Lalo plays a short tune, the bars light up one by one, and you play it back. Every correct tune grows by one note. It works in the browser on phones, tablets and computers.

How to play

1. Tap a coloured bar (or press the keys 1 to 8) to play a note.
2. Free play: make any music you like while Lalo dances.
3. Echo game: listen and watch the bars light up, then play the same tune back.
4. Each time you get it right, the tune grows by one note and you earn stars.
5. A wrong note is fine: Lalo plays the tune again. Use your stars to unlock bird friends with new sounds.

Controls

• Phone or tablet: tap a bar with your finger. Each bar plays its own note and lights up.
• Computer: click the bars, or press the number keys 1 to 8 (or the letters A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K) to play them from left to right.
• In the echo game, press the Pause button, P or Escape to take a break. The game also pauses by itself when you switch tabs.

Tips and strategy

• Every bar has a colour and a shape: a red circle, an orange square, a yellow triangle, a green star, a teal heart, a blue diamond, a pink moon and a brown cloud. Saying the shapes out loud helps you remember the tune.
• Watch the little dots next to Lalo: they show how long the tune is and how many notes you have already played.
• Missed the tune? Press “Listen again” as often as you like. It never costs a try.
• A wrong note is not a problem. Lalo simply plays the tune again, and you have three friendly tries per round.
• The sound can be turned off. The bars still light up, so the echo game works without sound too.
• In free play every combination sounds nice, so little ones can play freely and invent their own songs.

Game modes and difficulty

Free play has no rules: tap any bar and Lalo dances to your music. The echo game starts with a tune of two notes and adds one note after every success, up to twelve notes. Each correct tune gives as many stars as it has notes. Stars unlock four bird friends, each with its own instrument: marimba, bells, soft synth and music box.

History and background

Echo singing and echo playing are classic music class games: the teacher plays a short phrase and the children answer with the same phrase. This trains careful listening, memory and a sense of rhythm. The xylophone in this game uses a five-note scale that music teachers often choose for young children, because the notes always sound good together.

Lalo and the bird band were made just for Gemuzi. The bars light up at a calm pace, with no flashing, no timers and no pressure. There are no ads inside the game area and nothing to buy. Stars, friends and your longest tune are saved only in your own browser.

Frequently asked questions